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January 23, 2013

Regents to discuss new facilities

NORMAN — A new Water Innovative Research Laboratory, weather radar equipment and the Varsity Rowing Practice Center are among topics to be discussed by the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents at its regular meeting Thursday in Norman.

The meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the David L. Boren Auditorium of the National Weather Center, 120 David L. Boren Blvd., on the university’s Research Campus, with items submitted by Cameron University and Rogers State University, followed by those submitted by OU.

The OU Board will review architectural firms under consideration to provide services required for planning a proposed new facility, the Water Innovative Research Laboratory, that would operate as a collaborative laboratory, provide water-related public services and serve as a visible front door to the university’s water-related education, research and outreach programs.

The building could include offices, laboratories, a water-testing facility, an active-learning classroom, a demonstration watershed, display and visualization technology, video conferencing capabilities and public learning spaces.

An architectural consultant is needed to assist the university in programming and further definition of the scope of work and to estimate construction costs and assist in the development of a total budget for the project.

Also Thursday, the Regents will consider a proposal to purchase critical weather radar equipment for the university’s Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms to continue to develop and demonstrate techniques for numerical analysis and prediction of high-impact local weather and environmental conditions, with emphasis on the assimilation of observations from Doppler radars and other advanced in-situ and remote-sensing systems.

CAPS is in the 10th year of participation as one of four original academic partners from a 2003 National Science Foundation award.

Regents also will consider a recommendation to award a contract for construction of the Varsity Rowing Practice Center project. The building will house indoor practice facilities for the women’s intercollegiate rowing team, including a team room, a training room, a workout area, office and meeting spaces, lockers and showers, and storage and laundry areas.

The approximately 24,000-gross-square-foot building will be located south of the rugby and soccer fields on the south side of Blankenship Boulevard.

The next meeting of the OU Board of Regents is currently scheduled for March 27 and 28 in Oklahoma City.

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